Reception Location
Abbey Springs, Fontana, WI: A-
Really did a great job. Jenna, the Clubhouse Manager, is great to work with. Everything we laid out that we wanted for set up for both the ceremony and the reception were done well. A few minor things happened, such as the guard gate not letting us in initially for the rehearsal dinner and the tables in the reception room set up slightly off, but I think it's normal to have a few small things to fix, and in the grand scheme of things, they were quite minor. We got great feedback on the appetizers and Italian buffet we had for dinner. One of the bartenders was rude to the guests from what I hear, and we did share that with Jenna. But overall, Abbey Springs did a great job in their preparation, set-up, and were more than willing to work with us (and cut us a few deals along the way!). The picteresque setting of the tent next to the lake for our ceremony was fantastic. (gadragonetti)
Broadlands Golf Club; North Prairie, WI
I wanted an "all-inclusive" hall where I didn't have to pick a caterer, and an alcohol provider and so on, but I also didn't really want a hotel ballroom. I found Broadlands in the same magazine I found the church, and as soon as we visited we knew it was our venue. The hall is clean and simple without being boring, and it gives lots of options to how to decorate it. The food was delicious, and Yvonne, the event coordinator, was a joy to work with. The food and cake got out to the tables quickly, and the bartenders rocked. (SweetCharade)
The DeKoven Center Racine A
The DeKoven Center is a beautiful American Gothic university built in the 1800's. Our ceremony was held outside in the "quad" area and our reception was in the Great Hall. We also had cocktails and apps in the Assembly Hall. We had a great time and got a ton of compliments. The main contact for weddings, Alex, is a little flaky but we really never had any issues, she ended up handling everything very well and she is very sweet. A lot of people think you cannot have civil ceremonies on the grounds but that is NOT true, we had a wonderful civil ceremony. You can't have a civil ceremony IF you choose the chapel for your contingency site in case of rain. Which makes sense to me, why would you want a civil ceremony in a chapel? (Although the chapel is gorgeous!) We had the Great Hall set up for our contingency but thankfully it was a beautiful sunny day! (newmrsdayton)
Grand Geneva Resort & Spa (Lake Geneva) (A+)
The hotel was absolutely wonderful. We actually were switched to a different event manager mid-stream when our manager took a promotion but GG ensured everything went smoothly. The planning process with them was easy, they were very responsive via email and telephone. We used the hotel for the reception site as well as the hotel. We had a hotel block and they were great about accommodating special requests, especially early check in for the wedding party to ensure they were able to make it to the rehearsal. GG as a reception site was incredible. The space was fabulous (we were in the Evergreen Ballroom which overlooked their lake), the food great, the service as expected at a resort of this type and rating. Our only issue was one miscommunication as to the start of wine service during dinner but the banquet manager rectified that situation as soon as my father mentioned it. (legallyRedSooner)
Geneva National, A-
Jaffe and Andrea were wonderful to work with. They were both very prompt in all responses and helped with ideas when I had none. There was a bit lost in communication as I had been working mostly with Jaffe, then was switched to Andrea, but all-in-all they were wonderful. The grounds were very pretty, even with the inclement weather. We used the Lake Geneva Room, lounge and bar and could not have been happier. It looked amazing. The couture package they offer also helped to keep the price managable. (teconley)
Great Hall at UW's Memorial Union - A
We are both UW-Madison alums, so having our reception at Memorial Union was a no-brainer! Since I am a lifetime Union member, we were able to get the room practically for free, which was great! The food, surprisingly, was very very good...just as good as it was for our small group tasting a few months earlier! Although the Union does not provide a day-of coordinator, we didn't seem to need one...their catering director, Steve, is very helpful and accomodating and his interns (who I'd imagine rotate based on the semester) are extremely helpful as well. We were both very glad in the end that we chose this location...plus, it's a gorgeous ballroom! We had the ceremony and reception in the same room (with a turnover during the cocktail hour) and it ran very smoothly! (jenmurray2)
Harbor Lights Room A+
This room is a diamond in the rough. Located above the milwaukee transit center. The day of coordinator Michelle was amazing throughout the whole process. I could send her an email virtually any time of day and get a responce quickly. She was always willing to meet up with me and go over floor plans and how everything would be set up. They rent all the linens and chairs and everything looked spectacular the day of.
The Heights Event Center Stoughton: B
We had been to a reception for his cousin at the Verona location and fell in love with it. When we found out that they had a Stoughton location, we were very excited. It is actually located inside the Stoughton Wellness and Athletic Center which houses Karate America as well as a fitness club but you can never tell. You have to go through a seperate door to get to the venue so you don't deal with the other businesses. It is a very nice, elegant looking place for half the cost of other places we had looked at. You do have to spend a minimum of $5000 but it wasn't hard after the meals, drinks and some appetizers. The bartender we had was awesome. He was outgoing, funny and made sure everyone had to drink what they wanted to drink. If you didn't know what you wanted, he would help suggest stuff. Kelly is the main person you deal with for the venue. She flips between the two locations with Verona being her main location so you had to find out when she would be in Stoughton to see the location or do anything. Sometimes it was hard to get a hold of her so the best way was email since you never knew where she would be. You also work with Chad who is the one who deals with the food. They are linked with Picasso's Restaurant which Chad owns. You actually go to Picasso's for your taste testing. They give you the menu of food ahead of time for you to decide which ones you want to try than you get to taste the ones you choose. We originally tried three options but went with two of them. Some people liked the food so much that they were eating the meals for people who didn't show up. One problem we did have was with payment. The agreement you get states one thing for payment but when you would ask them about it for clarification, they weren't sure. They are willing to work with you, though, and work on the payment. (hinkelcl28)
Hotel Metro A+
Delicious food! We payed for all of our guest to have valet parking, and everything went very well. The only downside is that we switched contact people three times within about one year. The latest contact person isn't very good at all, but the staff is amazing! They made sure everything ran really smoothly for us. (Jcrew_Shopaholic)
Hubbard Park Lodge
Shorewood, WI A++
I am so happy that we found this hidden gem in Shorewood! It is so unique and beautiful but most impressive are their policies (not too many) and their prices! They give you a lot for free compared to other venues that we looked at (table stand, table numbers, 3 votive candles for every table, glassware, parking, cake cutting). They allow you bring in cake from where ever you want, which allowed us to have a friend bake our wedding cake, which we really wanted. They do their own catering which made that one less thing for us to look into. The food was great (despite a few complaints, burnt croutons, wilted lettuce in the salads and greasy chicken fingers in the kid's meals) and the service was even better. They also allow a lot of room to decorate and are very accomodating. Catherine, one of the banquet managers was absolutely incredible and I cannot thank her enough for all of her help, she is professional and responsive and does an impeccible job! I was so relieved that she was the one "on duty" for our reception. We did pay 75.00 for the use of a golf cart that I never did see, but as soon as I confirm that our coordinator and decorator did not use it, I am sure that they will refund the cost. I would recommend Hubbard Park Lodge! (alessner)
Lake Windsor Golf Club Windsor WI: A+++++++
What an amazing venue/staff/location all in one! We couldn't have been happier with the whole package: food-event planner-ceremony-receoption!
Our event coordinator was AMAZING and was there every step of the way to answer questions or do anything we needed! The food was fantastic - as was the location in general. I can't find even one little complaint - it was PERFECT. (bonniejwilliam123)
Lakefront Brewery Palm Garden-A+
Lakefront was perfect for our casual, laid back wedding. The cream city brick created a warm and inviting atmosphere and the food was wonderful. We received A LOT of compliments on the food. We were even able to have a late night nacho bar and hot pretzel station which was a hit with all of our guests. For all of the beer drinkers, 5 Lakefront beers were on tap all night with all of the packages. There was a $$ minimum that needed to be met but I would definately recommend Lakefront. Grade: A+ (cgrzona)
Lussier Family Heritage Center, B Madison, WI
We had both the ceremony and reception here and it was beautiful. The price was good because it is on county land. We rented the top floor and it was more then enough room for our guest. The downside is that you need to be out of there by midnight. My brother, SIL and DOC stayed late cleaning and set off the alarm. We gave a deposit for damage and I am still waiting to hear if we are charged extra for staying late. I will post if they do. Other them that it was a great space and I recommend it. (Beckster5551)
The Madison Club - A+
They were fantastic! I can't possibly say enough good things about them, Justin in particular. There are two wedding coordinators there, Justin and Amy. I only worked with Justin, and loved him. I've heard not so great things about Amy, but I've never worked with her so I can't say for certain. The food was delicious, the service was perfect, they did everything we asked and more. We had our reception on the second floor in the "blue room". They were very accomodating, very professional, and willing to help with anything we needed. If I had to say something bad, I would say that the liquor is a little over priced, but it didn't bother me because the place was so worth it. (hmholden-10/01/11)
THE MARQ - B
Our original venue (Rivierview Country Club) closed shortly before our wedding so we went in search of a new venue that would hold all our guests on the date that we had already set. The Marq was able to accomidate us, but being on the other side of the state, we booked the venue without ever seeing it. Don't get me wrong we did see photos online!
Originally, at the Marq we were working with Alison (one of their wedding coordinators) and she was rude and disrespectful. She actually double booked the one meeting we had with her and continupously left the room to checking in with the other bride and groom. After dealing with Alison we asked to switch to a different coordinator and were given Jennifer. Jennifer was AMAZING. I must have called this poor girl a couple dozen times and she was always incredibly nice and helpful. I felt like she actually took a care into what we wanted for our wedding.
The Marq allowed us to drop off decorating supplies and chair covers the day before, which was amazing. Definitely a great place to book for your wedding! (ottecl)
Milford Hills Hunt Club/Johnson Creek, WI (A++)
Our venue was beyond spectacular! We had the best experience and day. Janet, their coordinator is so helpful, flexible, and willing to do whatver it takes to have your day go off without a hitch. We took one of their food/bar packages and asked them to customize it for us and they were able to with no additional charges. We had our ceremony and reception on site and I cannot rave enough about how helpful the staff is! Everyone went above and beyond and I would recommend them in a heartbeat! (texy72)
Old World Wisconsin in Eagle, WI-A
When we looked into receptions we wanted something different and unique and this place had it. A big octagon barn from the 1800's . LOved it the second i walked in. A Con is that u have to pay for every chair and table indiviually and for stringing lights. so that was a big cost right there. The food was good everyone raved about it . i was a little dissapoinited in the mashed poatoes(much better at our tasting) but everyone else seemed to enjoy food. The wait staff and bartenders were very nice. The catering manager ANdrea was easy to work with. (canarise)
Potawatomi Bingo Casino: A+++++When I began telling people where we were having our wedding, alot of the responses we got were "hmmm, ok, that's interesting...." because not many people even knew of wedding being done there. I don't remember where we came across an ad for wedding there, but this was actually our very first place we looked. Right away we fell in love with the Tribal Room. If you are familiar with Potawatomi, it is the room underneath the torch. It is a three-story circular room, half of it glass from bottom to top looking onto downtown Milwaukee, and the other half a great big stone fireplace. We had our ceremony in there, then went to Wild Earth Restaurant for dinner, and we headed back to the Tribal Room for the dancing and party. They require you to use their caterer (which is know for some people that is a negative thing). But for me, I looked at it as one less vendor to research and book. Plus, the food there is AMAZING. They have chefs who have worked all over the country. We had Wild Mushroom Ravioli, Three Citrus Butter Chicken, and Braised Short Rib. We got so many compliments on the food; they did a phenomenal job. We chose to do our cake through them as well (although that is not required). There were several unique options (we chose Baileys Irish Cream flavored) and the cake also went toward our minimum. The staff was so professional and the catering manager, Dell, worked with us on every little detail from the moment we walked in looking for a place to get married to the wedding night reception. I highly recommend at least taking a look and considering it! (emelizabeth85)
Pulaski Inn - A+
Cudahy, WI
414-481-3068
www.pulaskiinn.com
The Pulaski Inn was great. The $16.99-$18.99/per plate meal price was great. The food, unbeatable! My parent's were married there 8 years ago and our friend's were married there 5 years ago. The food is really what you go here for and the space is huge and really versatile. We paid the extra for them to tool and light the tables, which turned out great. The only bad thing is parking..they have a small parking lot but a ton of street parking. None of our guest complained about it at all. (MelissaSavin)
Radisson Milwaukee West: B+
LaToyia was awesome, she was a great contact person. The food was great, the appetizers even better. They did everything we asked and did it with a smile. Good rate on the guest rooms. Out of their particular control, but the only downer, construction on the lounge fell behind and wasn't completed by our wedding date. They did compensate us for that, but I felt they could have gone a little further for the inconvenience. Overall, I would still recommend for a nice hotel reception. There's only one ballroom...no sharing! (lovey1111)
Riverside Ballroom- A
AWESOME. Beautiful place, the food was great, the staff was friendly. They gave us compliments on everything we did all night. They sent all the extra chicken home with my dad (he had to pay for 325, and only about 300 showed up). Only small complaint here was they will only set up the centerpieces and decorations if you rent from them. If you bring in your own, you need to have someone do it for you (and you cant decorate the night before, the place is super busy!) (KatieD212)
Rock Garden (Green Bay, WI) - B
This is a tough one – there are lots of people involved here some are fantastic and others not so much.
Debi who is the main point of contact is lacking…it took her forever to reply with history and she often tried pinning the ILs against me which was not cool. I don’t care WHAT she told them I went by what was IN WRITING. We had the hall booked for over a year and I met her for the first time the Thursday before the wedding…which for some can be pretty unnerving considering I had set up appointments when she said “see you then,” “see you Friday,” etc.
Aaron was always great. He is the one that took us through the halls and on the many appointments I set up with Debi where she didn’t show Aaron picked up the slack. We sat down with him on several occasions and he left me feeling good about the wedding, the plans, etc. He also was wonderful on our second to last sit down where we tried to iron out as many details as possible.
Our manager for the evening (sorry I do not remember his name) was also very good. He hunted me down and introduced himself and checked in with me periodically. His staff worked like clockwork – we did not hear one single complaint. Our wedding was served family style and every table received everything within minutes of one another so no table was left waiting.
The only minor complaint is that they cleared the tables almost too good. A lot of people wanted to keep the envelope with picture and photoshare card but those were tossed as they were cleaning the tables off. No big deal I put them in the thank you cards as well…but they do run a very efficient staff.
The food, the staff, the venue - everything we received so many compliments on so I would say all and all a success with the exception of interactions with Debi that pulled down my rating a tad.
Website: http://www.comfortsuitesgb.com/Green-Bay-Conference-Center.html (Jelenny)
Silver Spring Golf & Banquet Center = A This country club is in Menomonee Falls, and everything about it is gorgeous! The grounds, the building, the banquet hall. Our room was the largest, called the Tremont Room, with large floor-to-ceiling windows to give the venue a TON of natural light. Also, a huge dance floor! The staff did a great job making everything look beautiful, and the food is FANTASTIC! (noonandj04)
University of Wisconsin Memorial Union: A
We were stuck trying to find space for 200-300 people in Madison, WI this summer for our wedding, and wanted something a little more special than a large conference room in a hotel. The Memorial Union is usually booked out 18 months in advance for Saturdays, but we managed to reserve a Sunday, which brought costs down with most vendors (including the Union) and worked out perfectly (it was July 3rd - no work on Monday!).
Working with the staff at MU was great - we always felt that we were informed about the important things (both during planning and on the day of the reception). In terms of arranging a food tasting, it is quite important to call the Central Reservations office early on in the process, since tastings are offered only at a few scattered times during the year (but they are included for bride + groom!). Finding a time to meet with Stephen Lucas, the catering director, was also a little challenging (he has a lot of events to coordinate all year at the two Union sites and at assorted other venues). However, once we had a meeting time, things went very smoothly. Stephen was so honest and up-front about everything - very appreciated.
The *only* gripe I had was that everything (table numbers and cards, especially) was cleared from the center tables - to clear space for dancing - too fast for me to save my own card! The staff was a little too efficient, but I also did not have the foresight to set those things aside that I wanted to keep. Overall, our Union wedding was elegant (the space needs little/no decoration!), affordable (250 people served a delicious meal for ~$6000), and fun (we are from two Badger families, so it was almost a no-brainer). Would highly recommend this venue! (mdlorenz)
The Villa Filomena We enjoyed working with Tina and her mom throughout the planning process. They were flexible with us for timing and made sure we felt comfortable leaving the set up in their hands. Tina was our day of coordinator and definitely kept us running on time. The courtyard for the ceremony was beautiful and the reception was breathtaking with the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Truly a great experience. (jennya.esq)
West 14th Restaurant - Marshfield, WI. The food was amazing and loved by all of the guests! The bones is a converted milking parlor and has great arcitecture - perfect for our vintage/country theme. They are very easy going and willing to work with your budget. We did a cash bar for those who wanted beverages that we didn't supply. The only drawback I had with them is that I wasn't able to decorate the hall until 7:30AM the morning of the wedding. With all of the help (and little decoration), we were able to get it done in 2 hours. (mrsweber11)
Wil-o-Way Facility, Grant Park (A) (South Milwaukee) The only reason why I'm not giving it an A+ is because the bathrooms could use a re-painting. There is one sink in the women's bathroom that has a hard yellow water stain on it that bothered me in the beginning, but became little concern on my big day. A friend told me that she was nervous to use the stalls, because they had curtains for stall doors, but this is because this place is owned by The Milwaukee County Office for Persons with Disabilities. They hold a lot of functions for people who are disabled and they need curtain doors so that mentally disabled people don't accidentally lock themselves inside.
The maintenance guy "Tim" went above and beyond to help me on my big day. I went a little over my reservation time setting up (you rent by the hour), and he was kind enough to forgive it rather than charge me extra. He even helped clean up (which was not required!) He let me borrow a pair of scissors and bottle opener and even lit the fireplace (again, this was something we were suppose to handle.) He even gave me access to additional rooms to get ready in.
The outside setting itself is gorgeous. (My 11/5/11 ceremony & reception was held inside the building, because it was too cold.) It was very warm and cozy inside. You get access to a garden on the side of the building that's maintained by UW-Milwaukee. There's even a greenhouse filled with beautiful plants. If your thinking of a summer/spring wedding- they also have an awesome park for kids to play in.
All the pricing and availability is visible on their website.They have mic & speaker system (cost $25 extra), tables, and chairs you can use there. The chairs are orange- but they went with my decor PERFECTLY.